


Katie?

by kpohe8



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Overprotective Matt, Overprotective Paladins, Pidge | Katie Holt Angst, Slow Updates, Team Bonding, everyone's bonding, everything's pretty platonic but you know possibly lots of ship tease, i love pidge she's my fave, paladins looking after each other, welp, will update tags along the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23715952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpohe8/pseuds/kpohe8
Summary: **SLOW UPDATES**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the idea and plotline.During a mission to retrieve critical information on some rebel force members, Pidge gets abducted and the team get stuck in a wormhole. When the team get out, they immediately set out to find her. And they do.Except, she's taller. Older. Fitter. Wears a different uniform. And a blindfold.What?
Relationships: Allura & Pidge | Katie Holt, Coran & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt & Green Lion, Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge | Katie Holt & Green Lion, Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Pidge | Katie Holt & Voltron Paladins
Comments: 3
Kudos: 51





	Katie?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So... Well...
> 
> Damn it - I don't know.
> 
> I know that this is long, and that some of it probably doesn't make sense, but I am lowkey proud of this and had fun writing it.
> 
> Even if editing this was a pain in the ass.
> 
> But if you have any questions or anything please feel free to ask! I won't bite :)
> 
> Enjoy!

This was wrong...

"Pidge?!"

This was very, _very_ wrong...

"PIDGE!!!"

How do you feel about a 14 year old girl part of a 10,000 year old intergalactic war against a dominating and corrupt alien species that had taken half of her family and thousands - even millions - of others hostage, and probably killed? Would you say she was unlucky? That the higher-ups were unfair when deciding people's fates? Especially to the Holt's?

Well, it's sad to say that she's accepted she's part of that large percentage of unfortunate souls who had been taken by the Galra.

"KATIE!!!"

It was a recon mission. One that involved stealing and altering information of certain rebel fighters and their leaders, information that some Galra crew had somehow gotten their hands on. Although easier said than done, all the team had to do was sneak on board the ship, steal the right information while planting the fake, then leave undetected.

Of course, fate had other plans...

"Guys," her voice, though quiet, held strength as she spoke into the communicator of her helmet. "I'll be fine," she lied. 

Let's go into the specifics of the mission, shall we?

"Katie! We're coming! Just hold on!" Matt screamed into the comms. 

It was a given that Pidge had to be the one to infiltrate the cruiser, but of course no one wanted her to. She was the smallest and youngest - that's not doubting her incredible abilities with tech and her determination to fight though - but every once in a while that spark of over-protectiveness would ignite in everyone and they couldn't help it. It happened with everyone for everyone because there was always that small chance that they might not return. Yet despite this, they knew she'd have to, and that they'd have to ignore their feelings of dread and worry. She was the tech genius after all, and her small size and stature gave her the ability to hide in the nooks and crannies of the ship while still being able to work practically. She was perfect for the job.

Though it would've been ideal with Green's camouflage, the team decided that it would be easier for Pidge to infiltrate the cruiser using a fighter jet they had come across accidentally. On a previous mission, the team was scoping out a planet due to its weird aura it would give off. The castle had no information on the planet as it had been made new within the 10, 000 years the castle (and Alteans) had been asleep. Long story short, it was a secret Blade of Marmoran base. And they were about to scrap the jet. Pidge being Pidge wanted it and tinkered with it until it was new.

The Lion would've been too large to land on the cruiser anyway.

"Guys, don't." She weakly instructed. The castle, Blue Lion, and Black Lion were under some heavy fire, but managing to defend themselves. Barely. Logically, they needed to get out of there and just leave her for a little bit. It'd be better, and smarter, and if Zarkon got his hands on the lions they'd be fucked. Absolutely fucked to no return.

She trusted that they'd come back. They were a team. A family. They'd been through hell and back and still somehow survived. She even managed to find her brother. And his stupid ass was in space.

They'd come back for her. If they didn't, Matt would.

Pidge could feel the soft pur of the Green Lion at the back of her head, her worry and dread being shared through the bond. Pidge couldn't tell if the feeling was initially from herself, her lion, or her teammates and their lions, but she guessed it didn't matter too much. They were all feeling the same thing. It was almost endearing.

"It's alright girl," she mumbled more to herself in fake reassurance. She knew she wasn't okay. Green knew she wasn't okay. Everyone in the bond could feel that she wasn't okay, but hey it's not the first time she's lied to anyone. Though, she was hoping she could convince herself more than anyone at that moment.

What a _great_ day she was having.

"Katie, don't give up now," Matt scolded. If her brother's scolding her she mustn't have turned her comms off when she spoke. "We're coming for you. Don't fucking give up now."

She definitely wasn't in the mood to give up, but she wasn't exactly in the shape to keep fighting either. "Matt, you need to go."

"Don't even-"

"Hey, listen to me," she spoke sternly. Her head was spinning and her eyes were unfocused, but they needed to leave. 

Somehow the Galra had caught on about the mission and just as Pidge had made it out and was on her way back to the castle, they'd attacked with Pidge caught in the crossfire.

"We got what we needed, and planted the fake information, you need to go."

"Pidge-"

"Get the fuck outta here before they get the lions too." Black, Blue, and the castle stared at the jet being sucked into the Galra cruiser, debating on whether or not to ignore or give in to her pleadings. "For fuck's sake," Pidge groaned. "Go."

"Shit," Shiro cursed softly. "She's right." He sighed and forced himself to retreat back to the castle. "She's right. We gotta go."

"No, Shiro, we can't just leave her-"

"Lance, if we had gotten her sooner, we could've taken her, but now it's too late. She's too close to the ship for any of us to get her without repercussions."

On board the castle of lions, Matt's eyes watered. "Lance, just turn back around."

That seemed to get Lance's attention. Yes, Shiro was the leader and he trusted him, but Matt was Pidge's older brother and would do anything for his sister. So, him saying that there was nothing they could do at the moment... It didn't settle well for him but he followed orders anyway.

Matt scrunched his face and turned away from the giant window viewing the scene. He grunted in frustration, but the only thing the rest of the crew and paladins could do was watch, a sinking feeling settling in their chests. "Damn it!" He shouted at no one, crumbling and folding in on himself. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" He got back up from his knees and back to the screen where his sister still remained on comms. "Katie, you better fucking give them hell while you're there."

That elicited a small chuckle from the green gremlin. "You know I will, Matt." She sighed. She was tired but didn't allow herself to lose consciousness until she knew the castle was away from danger. "I think Shiro and Lance just docked, so wormhole out."

"Let's go."

"Love you sis,"

"Love you too Matt." A singular tear slipped from her eye. "I'll see you soon."

She saw the wormhole open and saw the castle enter it. All was fine until she saw some dark magic contaminate the wormhole.

"NO!"

** ~~~~~ **

"Allura! What happened?!" Shiro asked as he and Lance ~~barely~~ ran onto the deck.

"The druids have contaminated the wormhole with dark magic again." She groaned as her and Coran tried to stabilise the ship. "Hold on!"

Sirens blared and lights were red. The castle continued to shake as the rest of the paladins held onto anything that was stable and mounted. It wasn't until after a few more minutes did all noise and flashing lights cease.

They took some minutes to breathe. Then some more to think.

"Fuck," Matt muttered. 

Pidge was gone. Captured and now in the hands of the Galra.

"Shit, fuck, shit," he cursed more loudly. He kicked the console then walked away, his hands locked and resting behind his head. "Fucking quiznak!" He started pulling at his hair before turning to wander aimlessly, continuously swearing obscenities under his breath. 

"Matt," Keith spoke as he slowly made his way towards the brother. Matt ignored him and continued to mumble nonsense. "Matt," Keith tried again. He looked around to the team, trying to see if anyone else would try and console Matt. They were either ignoring him in favour of being frustrated with themselves, or smiled sympathetically because they knew they weren't close enough to Matt to offer effective reassurances.

Eventually, Shiro took it upon himself to step forward.

When Keith turned back to Matt, he was on his knees. Hands tangled in his hair and tears seeping from his eyes. Slowly but surely, he was breaking. And anyone around could see it.

"Matt," Shiro tried. Just like Keith, he was ignored, but that didn't stop him. He walked so he was in front of the young man and knelt down so they were levelled. "Matt," he tried again.

"I failed," Shiro could hear him more clearly now. His voice was low and the most distraught he's ever heard it. He was never this low in spirits, even back when he and Shiro were first initially caught during that Kerberos Mission that while ago. "I failed her. I failed as her brother."

"You didn't fail h-"

"She's fucking 14, Shiro." Matt's voice was cold. Empty. It would've sent chills down Lance's spine had it not been for the overwhelming worry that had settled in the air. "She's a 14 year old girl fighting in a fucking 10,000 year old intergalactic war, Shiro!"

"Wait - she's 14?"

"Matt, you're going to have to-"

"Don't fucking tell me to fucking calm down!" He pushed himself off of the floor, ignoring both Hunk (who now stood with Lance and Keith with petrified eyes at the revelation of Katie's true age) and Shiro (who had to take a couple steps back to avoid getting knocked off his feet) as he began to once again pace. "She shouldn't be in this war! Hell - all of us shouldn't be in this war! But she's 14! She's probably the youngest person in this fight! I'm the youngest person in the rebel forces so I know for a fact that you guys are fucking young to be fighting a battle that isn't yours. And there's a shit tonne of people in the rebel forces."

There wasn't really anything that anyone could say after all. He did state facts.

"Maybe... maybe it's not as bad as it seems." It was a futile attempt at trying to cheer him up, Hunk knew, but no one believed him. He didn't believe himself.

Matt walked towards the door and stood at the exit. "My little sister is in the hands of a merciless and ruthless alien species that would rather die than surrender. And because she's a paladin, she's got a pretty high price over her head. I'm pretty sure it's as bad as it seems. Maybe worse." His voice continued in that cold, almost murderous tone. It was unnerving - extremely unnerving. It was such a contrast from his usual chipper mood. Even during the small number of missions the team had with him, Matt had never become this cold.

"I know what they are capable of doing. Shiro and I know up close what the Galra are capable of doing. Fuck, Shiro's got a fucking souvenir and that was when he wasn't a paladin!"

"We're going to get your sister back," Allura stated from her post. Her and Coran continued to work on trying to find an exit. "I know you're upset, we all are-"

"Oh nah shi-"

"But that doesn't change the fact that we're still stuck in this contaminated wormhole with no way out," Allura continued as if Matt hadn't tried to interrupt her.

Matt snapped his mouth shut and turned his sharp eyes to the princess. Allura was in a no-shit-taking mood, and honestly she was hella intimidating when she was like that. The tension was heavy. Allura could feel Matt's stare bore into the back of her head as she focused on controlling the ship.

"You said this wasn't the first time you've been stuck in a contaminated wormhole." Matt crossed his arms as he ventured back into the room. His voice was still low and levelled, however, he seemed to be less... _intent on murder_ than before.

"A while back we had been caught in a similar situation, except the wormhole had managed to split us up since we were in our lions," Shiro answered. Thanks to him, it seemed a little bit easier to breathe now that the tension in the room had lessened.

"How did you get out?"

"Pidge built a beacon that gave a strong enough signal for the castle to latch onto that allowed us to be pulled out," Allura answered.

"While Allura's manning the castle, I'm looking for a beacon for us to latch onto," Coran added.

"So there's nothing we can do but wait?"

"I'm afraid not. Sorry Matt," Allura apologised.

Matt just let himself get lost in his own thoughts and the beauty of space from inside a wormhole.

It was silent between the team for a long period of time, the only noise being made was from the castle as it travelled through the wormhole, or from Coran's typing as he searched desperately for a beacon. Everyone else had take a seat on the floor or at a spare station. Except Shiro. He preferred to lean on the wall while he watched over everything.

Keith could feel his nerves boil under his skin. He couldn't sit back and wait like everyone else. He was angry damn it! Angry at himself for allowing Pidge to get captured. Angry at the Galra for getting her captured. Angry at Zarkon for starting this freaking war in the first place.

He gave everyone a once over. Allura and Coran were focused and working diligently on trying to get everyone out of the wormhole from their stations. Matt was sitting at another station. His stare unfocused but aimed at the floor just in front of him. His right leg bounced while he clenched and unclenched his left fist. Shiro was still at the back of the room by the door, but his gaze was similar to Matt's. Unfocused on a bit of floor in front of him, lost in the millions of thoughts that were circling his mind.

Keith turned his attention to Hunk who laid on his back in front of him. Keith couldn't tell from his expression if he was bored or worried. He seemed content with staring at the ceiling though.

Lance sat to his right while leaning against the wall, and although he couldn't see his face since he was looking out the massive window that showed the endlessness of the wormhole, he could tell that Lance's nerves were frayed. If his bouncing leg was anything to go by. He continued to stare at the leg, the limb somehow making his patience run thinner than it was before.

"That's it." All attention snapped to him as his voice broke the silence that had settled. He got up from his position on the floor and head to the door. "I can't take it. I'm going to the training deck. Feel free to join me."

He didn't get far down the corridor before hearing another set of feet trailing behind me. He knew immediately that it was Lance.

** ~~~~~ **

Grunt.

Grunt.

Run.

Roll.

Run.

Jump.

Swing.

Land.

Run.

Shoot.

Dodge.

Throw.

Charge.

Stab.

Punch.

Kick.

Stab.

Stab.

Stab.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

"Lance."

Stab.

Punch.

"Lance. Cut it out."

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

"Lance sto- Lance your bleeding."

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

"Lance!"

Keith ran over to where Lance was straddling the training bot and yanked the lanky boy off of the scrap piece of metal it was reduced to.

"I- Let me go!" He started flailing his legs, kicking at the air, trying to get free from Keith's grasp. "I fucking said let me go!" Lance squeezed his eyes shut and continued to kick and grunt. Eventually, his body was too exhausted to keep fighting, so Keith let him slip from his grip. Lance punched tiredly onto Keith's body.

Sympathetically, Keith kneeled down to his level, still holding him.

"I shouldn't have hesitated, Keith. I should've just gone with Blue-"

"And get the both of you and the Blue lion caught? Yeah, no thanks." Keith sighed. "We all knew what was at stake, and we all considered the risks. We completed the mission but at the cost of one of our team mates, so now we're gonna get her back."

They both sat there in silent for a few moments.

Lance sighed. "I hate that you're right and I hate that there's nothing we can do."

"The most we can do now is look after each other and wait for that beacon."

Lance sat back from Keith. "Do you think she'll be okay?" He got up from his position and wiped some sweat off his forehead.

Keith did the same. "Honestly, I don't know. But she's tougher than she seems, and smarter too. She'll find a way."

** ~~~~~ **

"How are things?" Lance asked as he and Keith walked back into the main deck. Lance's hands were mostly bandaged up. Matt hadn't moved from his station, but he was more aware of his surroundings now. Shiro had moved from the door to stand behind Matt. Allura and Coran hadn't moved from their places, but looked more worn out than before.

"Hunk left to make everyone milkshakes. He was getting restless and needed something to do," Shiro spoke.

Matt nodded from his station. "Yep."

"So there's still no beacon?" Keith asked.

"No beacon," Allura confirmed. "Sorry."

Lance frowned and Keith sighed. "You guys should rest a little bit. You've been working nonstop for the past hour."

"It has been about a varga of nonstop working straight after an intense mission hasn't it?" Coran spoke to himself. "Very well then. I'll head off to the kitchens and whip us a batch of Altean biscuits. I'll check on Hunk while I'm there too."

"Well in that case, the rest of us will head to the common room," Shiro stated. "Everyone deserves a small break. Coran, you and Hunk can meet us there when you're finished."

** ~~~~~ **

It was quiet in the common room as Allura, Matt, Lance, and Keith rested on the couches. Shiro remained standing behind the couches since there was no room, like the considerate leader he was. Although exhausted mentally, their bodies were still pumped with adrenaline despite the amount of time that had passed.

Everyone had thousands of things to say, but no one spoke a single word. As much as they wanted to, they knew they didn't need to. They couldn't break that silence that had overwhelmed them. The air was too tense and heavy.

The bond between the paladins was filled with Green's emotions of loss, the lion taking Pidge's kidnapping the hardest. It left the rest of the paladins with heavy hearts. Maybe it was because of that, they couldn't feel each other as much as usual. Maybe it was because of Green's feelings, that they didn't notice the absence of one paladin in the bond.

Though Hunk tried to lighten the mood with his happy thoughts of food.

Shiro tried with his earliest memories of meeting the young paladin.

Lance tried with his thoughts of his family.

Keith tried with his determination to find her.

** ~~~~~ **

The sight of Matt rapidly bouncing his leg caught Allura's attention. "Is that normal?"

"Is what normal?" He sounded harsher than he intended to, but the princess didn't mind.

"For a human's leg to bounce like that?"

Matt looked down to his legs and stopped. He sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Sometimes, when a human is nervous or anxious, even stressed, they start to fidget subconsciously."

Allura nodded.

Silence.

** ~~~~~ **

"Altean biscuits and milkshakes are served," Hunk announced as he walked into the common room holding trays of milkshakes. Coran followed in behind holding trays of cookies.

"Oh nice, milkshakes," Lance said happily as he waited for the food and drinks to be set.

Matt's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You guys can make milkshakes?"

"Yeah! We got a kaltenecker when we went to the space mall," Hunk answered. "But you knew that I was making milkshakes. You were in the room when I announced it." He and Coran went around giving everyone their milkshakes and a space cookie. Coran then placed the rest of the cookies in the middle of the small coffee table like surface for those who wanted more.

Matt blushed slightly and smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. A stark contrast to what he was like an hour ago. "Sorry, I kind of zoned out while I was feeling sorry for myself."

"It's cool dude," Lance said as he sipped his drink on the couch. "You needed time. Understandable." He then took a bite out of his cookie. "Coran, these are amazing."

"Come on, Lance," Hunk lightly scolded. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

He swallowed the rest of the cookie. "Can't help it. They're too good."

"Matt, you should try them." Matt looked up from his seat to see Shiro standing behind him with a soft smile. He stood with Hunk and Coran. "They're really good. Could probably take you down memory lane."

"Ahh, memory lane. What a place," Hunk hummed in content and closed his eyes as he reminisced in a distant pleasant memory. 

After giving everyone a once over (they all held the same, if not similar expressions on their faces), Matt finally took a sip of his vanilla milkshake. Soon enough, he was closing his eyes and reminiscing in a pleasant memory of his own. One that felt another lifetime ago.

"So, Matt." He opened his eyes which instantly locked with Keith's. "When was the last time you had a milkshake?"

Keith's smug smile hadn't gone unnoticed by the Holt brother.

Matt looked down as a small smile crossed his face. "The last time I had a milkshake was when Pidge and I went out a day or two before the Kerberos mission," his voice was soft and fond. It was a happy time for them. When problems were much simpler. "She got peanut butter and chocolate and I got a vanilla flavoured milkshake." One that tasted like the one he was having now, he didn't say. "The place we went to was around the corner from our house. And even though it was a small business, they served one hell of a milkshake." He turned to Hunk. "Thank you for making us one hell of a good milkshake."

Hunk smiled gratefully at that.

Then the team took turns sharing their fondest memories of home. Whatever that meant for each them.

** ~~~~~ **

When the sirens blared once more, the entire team had raced from the common room back to the main deck with Matt and Keith leading the pack. Though, Lance lagged behind as he had fallen asleep at some point during the team's impromptu bonding session. He caught up fine.

When they got there, everyone found a station to sit at.

"The castle's locked onto a beacon!" Coran yelled over the sirens.

"Allura, can you get us out?" Shiro asked. He, as well as everyone else watched as Allura, Coran and Matt worked at their stations. "Coran, have you got the coordinates?"

"I do! Let's get out of here, Princess!"

Matt was anxious. He could only guess that they were in the wormhole for a few vargas tops, but a lot could happen in that time. Then again, Pidge had been on the verge of passing out when they last saw her. It is possible that she had spent the majority of that time passed out in a cell.

He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, if she was passed out then the Galra wouldn't have wasted their time or energy on her. She could regain her energy in some sort of peace. They'd keep her in a cell until she woke up since she probably wouldn't be responsive and like the (mostly) sadistic race they are, they would be unsatisfied with her reactions to their provocations. But by the time she were to wake up, they'd have a plan for her. Whether that be to torture her then throw her into the ring while weak, or to strap her to a bench or table and-

No.

We won't go there.

Anyway, on the other hand if she were to remain awake while being captured, she could have a grasp of her whereabouts inside the ship and plan her escape. Possibly mentally map the entire thing if she could. Though she'd struggle, she could rest once she made it to a prison cell and go from there. She had the willpower and determination to do it. She could accomplish anything with that - like come on, she found Matt in the middle of space when it was said that he, his father, and Shiro had died during the mission. Seriously, for her size she was very threatening to say the least. Yet, people constantly made the mistake of underestimating her.

A small smile graced Matt's lips as he thought about the havoc she would have caused while with the Galra.

"We made it!" Allura cheered exasperatedly. "Now let's find our green paladin!"

** ~~~~ **

Keith woke up with crusty eyes and his head made of lead. After a few minutes, he swung his legs off the bed and slowly got up. He yawned once more and checked the time. He'd been asleep for a good 12 hours.

What the hell? Since when did he sleep that long?

Actually...

Since when did he sleep?

He tried to recall his memory from the day before but came up blank. Or fuzzy. His mind was foggy. He felt his head spin for a moment, somehow the combination of both thinking and getting up too fast when just waking up from a deep slumber being too much for his brain.

Ugh, maybe he needed some water and food in his system? It was rare for him to just seem dead to the universe. Slowly and groggily, he made his way to the kitchen. When he got there, he saw the rest of the team there.

"Ah, so sleeping beauty rises."

"Shut it, Lance..." Keith grumbled. He wandered over to the cupboards for a cup and filled it with water.

"Well, Hunk just finished breakfast if you'd like some," Coran spoke.

Keith nodded and sat down. Not long after, he was served a great big bowl of some great green goo. As soon as he shoved a good amount into his mouth, he physically felt a satisfaction of some sort, a wholesome feeling completely overwhelming his body.

It was weird. This feeling. It was joyful, grateful, relief, overwhelming happiness.

What the fuck?

He literally ate food goo. When was that new?

"You were really asleep for that long huh?" Lance teased. "Missed food goo while you slept?"

Wait...

"Is that why you never sleep?" Hunk joined. "You stay awake while everyone else sleeps so you can think about food goo porn in peace? Goo porn?"

They felt that sensation too?

"What's porn?" Allura asked.

Oh god....

Keith choked.

Lance flushed.

Hunk sputtered.

Shiro coughed.

Matt wheezed.

Coran raised an eyebrow.

Allura tilted her head.

It was silent, aside from Matt's laughter. The rest of the paladins turned to each other, every single one of them red in the face. How the hell do you explain porn to two aliens? One of them who acted like a mother half the time and the other the crazy uncle? What the hell would their reactions be when they found out?

Oh God...

Then that weird overwhelming happiness and joyfulness turned into a pained anguish - hopelessness. It physically pained the paladins to have this sinking feeling in their chests, and neither of them liked it. Even if the pain felt somewhat subdued.

"Jeez, Keith, learn to take a joke man..."

"This isn't me Lance!" Keith got up from his table. "And if you guys can feel it too, it probably means it's one of the lions through the bond." Keith took off running into the halls, and soon everyone else followed.

"Wait, what's porn?" Everyone ignored the question for obvious reasons.

"Listen, I know we gotta go to the hangars but which one are we going to?" Hunk asked. "Because it'd save us some time to not check all of them. I know it's not Yellow."

"It's not Black either," Shiro told the group. "We'll check Blue, Green, and Red's then."

"No need to check Red's. It's definitely not her."

"Same with blue."

Matt sped up so now he was leading the team. "So we need to check Green's." Matt's speed increased majorly as he desperately ran to Green's hangar. "Sis, if that's you, you'd better be okay," he muttered.

As everyone neared the hangar, they could her Green roaring dangerously as well as the sound of many things crashing to the ground. The paladins ran faster and tried to offer comfort through the bond.

Matt made it to the hangar first and saw the Green lion roaring, mourning almost. Her head was raised high, swaying from side to side. Her tail, swinging dangerously low, ready to sweep anything and everything nearby. She was on guard, ready to pounce. Green's pain was intense, and even though he wasn't apart of the bond between the paladins, he felt sorry for the green lion. He could almost feel the same pain.

He ran up to her with his hands up. "Easy girl, what's up?" He kept walking forwards which only seemed to anger her. She lowered her head, her large glowing eyes level with Matt's almost frightened gaze. She was definitely guarding something, the way her jaw would obstruct Matt's vision proved that.

She emit a low growl that shook his skin. It was like she was judging.

"Green, you gotta work with me here. Show me what's wrong." He was surprised his voice didn't shake.

A moment after intense staring, she raised her head and relaxed her body position ever so slightly, but it was enough for Matt to see the collapsed body by her left paw. His eyes widened and he immediately ran over to pick up the body.

By now the team had reached the hangar doors to see Matt carrying the limp and frail body in his arms as he ran back towards them.

"Matt? Where are you going? And who's that?!"

"I don't know, but we gotta help!" Everyone had stopped and turned to see the giant mechanical lion wailing and roaring very violently. It was definitely a sight no one wanted to see. The way the lion's pain was clear, and the way the paladins could feel it very intensely even though the pain should be distant, was very overbearing.

No one wanted to, but they turned back to Matt and chased after him. When the group had reached him, they saw him frozen, looking at the body on the table with wide and panicked eyes, not knowing what to do. Now it was clear that it was a girl.

"Matt! What are you doing? I thought we were helping her?"

That seemed to snap him out of his senses as he nodded and continued to pretreat the body.

"Coran! Have you set the cryopod?"

"I have."

"Good," Matt said as he delicately placed the light body inside. Once the pod had sealed off the girl from the rest of the galaxy, Matt had pressed himself up against the glass.

"Matt, you're awfully close to the pod," Allura noted. "Who is it? Is it someone we know?"

"I, uhh," Matt stuttered. "I honestly don't know. I think so? You guys can judge I guess."

"What do you..."

Matt had stepped aside from the glass allowing everyone a clear and full view of the intruder. Actually, of Pidge. But it wasn't Pidge, because Pidge didn't have shaggy hair the length of her ribs. Pidge wasn't that tall either. And she sure as hell wasn't that muscular (or womanly) for her size. And she had always been small, but she always seemed to have a light in her face. Her face was now grave and dark, slim, yet more matured. It couldn't be Pidge, right?

Right?

"Is that Pidge?" Lance asked.

No one had a clear answer. "It couldn't be," Hunk answered. "I mean, she's wearing exactly what Matt's wearing. Pidge would still be in her paladin armour, or some Galra prisoner rags. Right? We hadn't been stuck in the wormhole for that long, had we? We'd only been there for about 5 hours tops." He then began to mumble aloud to himself. "Then again, there was the extra 12 hours of searching afterwards- but that doesn't explain the amount of change that'd occurred since we've been gone..."

He had a point. Unless the Galra had managed to perform experiments on her that altered such changes, or this was just some random Human that they'd somehow come across on random that also somehow scarily shared many strikingly similar traits as Pidge, well, there was no way to explain it. There was also no way she would have joined and acquired some rebel fighters uniform within the time they'd been away.

Or could she? Pidge had always been a miracle worker. And if this wasn't Pidge, then this stranger could be one too.

"I've never seen this rebel before," Matt murmured loud enough for everyone to hear. "And she looks too much like my sister for it to be anyone else."

"It would explain why none of our sensors picked her up as an intruder," Coran pointed out.

"Is that because the ship recognised her or she hacked it?" Lance asked.

"Who knows?" Hunk shrugged.

"Both?"

"How could it be both, Hunk?"

"You tell me, Keith."

Keith, Hunk and Lance spoke of the girl in the cryopod, Coran and Allura looked into the systems to see how she managed to board the castle, leaving Shiro and Matt in each other's company as they stared.

Shiro placed a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Is it really her?" He asked in disbelief. "Because if it is, we had definitely been gone more than a few vargas."

Matt didn't even consider that possibility.

"We'll get our answers when she wakes up."

** ~~~~~ **

It had been a couple days since the team had found the girl, and they still didn't know who she was. Matt remained in front of the pod she healed in, waiting for her to wake up. The team constantly checked up on him, and sometimes joined him. There were now pillows and blankets set up in front of the girl. Off to the side would be dishes that no one bothered to clean and often, someone had to remind Matt to shower. And once he was done, he was back in the same spot.

Everyone had taken turns comforting the poor boy, saying that Pidge would be fine. Whether they meant the girl in the pod, or the possibility that the small paladin was elsewhere in the dark vastness of space, it was up for interpretation.

Allura and Coran offered some reassurance by searching for the paladin armour as they were fitted with trackers. They hadn't found it yet on their scanners.

The paladins could still feel Green mourn, so they were constantly in low spirits. Keith tried to train himself until he dropped. No one let him do that, but they let him train. Lance joined him sometimes, but he was usually found outside of Pidge's bedroom door sitting cross legged on the floor. Matt came by once and said he could go in her room, but Lance was okay with sitting outside.

Hunk was cooking feast after feast in the kitchen. He had to stop because Coran kicked him out for using all their supplies. So he had asked Coran if there was anything else to do. He picked up knitting. Somehow.

Shiro was either constantly by Matt's side or sitting in his room just by himself, leaving him to his thoughts that seemed to haunt him until the end of time. Sometimes he would join Keith at the deck, but that was only sometimes. The only thing they could do was wait...

And wait...

And wait...

And wait...

And wait...

And wait just a little more...

** ~~~~~ **

The team had huddled together under the blankets. It was late, and probably day 12 since they found the strange girl. Hunk had made hot chocolates (well the alien equivalent anyways) and everyone was silently sipping on their cups. When everyone had finished their drinks, Coran had offered to take their cups back to the kitchen so they could be cleaned. When he got back, he joined the rest of the team under the covers.

That pain and anguish was still felt through the bond between the paladins.

Then, the soft whir of the pod opening had everyone immediately stand.The rest of the team took a step back as Matt went to catch the girl.

She grumbled and slowly regained her energy and balance to stand. Matt still had a hold of her as she rubbed at her eyes. Then her breath hitched. She froze. She shot her head up and took in her surroundings while feeling her face.

Matt noticed her eyes, and they seemed washed out and dim. Not like Katie's vibrant ones.

She grabbed Matt's arm, turned and threw him over her shoulder back into the cryopod. Matt grumbled as he slid from his head to his shoulders as he laid uncomfortably upside down. That was enough to shock the rest of the team, but she didn't stop there.

She ripped up a blanket off the floor, one that Lance, Shiro, and Keith were standing on leaving them to tumble, before running at Coran and Allura. The two Alteans tried to step away, but the girl had already whipped Coran in the forehead, wrapped Allura's hands with the blanket she had, and threw her into Coran.

The girl grabbed another blanket and launched straight for Hunk, wrapping the blanket around his head, and used the ends of the blanket to swing him into Shiro, Keith, and Lance who managed to recover first from her attacks. They all landed with a good ol' oomph.

Matt finally managed to get up, and ran past everyone to chase after her. And he could barely keep up. Every time he turned a corner, he would just see her turn another one.

Who the hell is she? Why the hell was she so fast? When the hell did she become a rebel and why didn't she become one sooner?

Eventually, he noticed he found himself in the hangar.

** ~~~~~ **

"Who the hell was that?!" Lance groaned as Hunk finally got off of him, Keith, and Shiro. "She's fucking crazy."

"I admire her ability to adapt to her surroundings and- quiznack!" Allura cursed as Coran untied her blanket bounds.

"Sorry Princess."

"And use what she could to escape," she said as she rubbed at her wrists. "But that makes our job harder to catch her."

"We gotta go help Matt."

"We'll catch up," Shiro told them as he helped Hunk with his head/blanket situation.

The rest of the team took off running.

"Princess come with me."

"Coran, where are you and the princess going?" Keith asked.

"We'll go to the control room and figure out where she's gone."

"How do we contact you?" Lance asked.

"We'll tell you," Allura answered. Lance looked at her like she was crazy. "You'll see."

The two Alteans split off, leaving Lance and Keith.

"Where are we going? We don't know-"

"Matt first found her in the hangar," Lance interrupted Keith. "We'll check there."

The two ran along the corridors, turning every now and again before finally spotting Matt in Green's hangar.

"Matt, what's wrong?"

"I lost her in here. Fuck," he grumbled.

"Hey, cheer up. She couldn't have gotten far," Lance said as he pat Matt's shoulder. "And it's not like she could leave here, right?"

Matt knew she probably could.

"Look around, she probably left something," Keith ordered.

They walked around, trying to find the inordinate. Which was hard since the hangar was still a mess from when Green threw her tantrum 12 days ago. There were large crates and spare tools and random parts everywhere. Jeez, how much junk did Pidge have?

It wasn't until Matt went by Green's left paw did Keith find something. "Hey, what's that?"

"I don't know," Matt said as he picked up a piece of fabric. "This was where I found her."

"Give it here." Lance snatched the fabric out of his hands and examined it. It was a long strip of a dark maroon coloured fabric.

"Did she have this on?"

"I don't remember her wearing it."

"Do you think it was meant for some of her injuries? Like cutting off her circulation until she found medical treatment?"

"I don't-" Matt cut himself off.

"What is it?"

"You guys, can you feel anything through the bond?"

Odd question, but Keith and Lance understood what he was getting at. The two paladins felt a distant contentment, something different to the pain and worry they had felt for the past two weeks.

"Green's fine right now. She was going crazy last time we were here remember?" Matt walked back and looked up to the giant mechanical lion. "Hey girl, is everything okay? Are you okay?"

No response.

"Greenie, come on girl," Lance tried.

"Greenie?"

"Shut up, Keith."

"Paladins," Allura spoke on the speakers throughout he castle. "I don't see her anywhere. She is in Green's hangar though."

"Yeah, she seems to have disappeared in the hangar somewhere, but no worries! We'll find her." 

After a pause of silence, the three aforementioned males looked back up to the green lion.

"Green, please," Matt tried again.

Still no response.

"This has something to do with that girl doesn't it?" He asked quietly.

Lance and Keith stood back and watched.

"I also have a feeling that this has something to do with Katie, and you're the common denominator." Matt's eyes glossed over. "Green, please, if this has anything to do with my sister, I'd like to know."

When nothing seemed to happen, Matt closed his eyes and let his head hang. A singular tear slid down his face to sit under his chin, leaving a trail of moisture on his cheek. He didn't know why, but he felt that this girl was one step closer to his sister. Seeing Green in the pain she was in didn't help either.

Just as Lance was about to step forward and comfort him, a small voice, weak, worn, yet familiar spoke.

"Is it you?"

"Wha-"

"Please, just tell me," she pleaded weakly. "Is it really you?"

"It's me, Matt," he said warily. "And Lance and Keith."

It took a moment before Green had lowered her head. On top of her nose was the girl. "Matt as in..."

"Matthew Holt." He stepped forward to get a closer look, but she had her eyes closed? Why were they closed? What was the point of getting Green to lower her head to get a closer look at Matt if she wasn't even going to open her eyes? 'Cause that made complete sense...

He couldn't ponder it anymore because she had leaped off her nose into a free fall, which was still a considerably large fall due to the size of the lions.

The two paladins tensed as the girl fell. Matt ran up to catch her. When she had landed in her embrace (Matt lowkey stumbling and fell on his back from impact), she cried and as she held him in a death like grip.

"Are you oka-"

"You son if a bitch!" She sat herself up and slapped him right across the face. "I thought you were gone!"

Matt got up too, rubbing his cheek while Lance and Keith couldn't decide between giving concerned looks or laughing. "Can you stop attacking everyone?"

"Shut up. You deserved it." Her voice trembled as she spoke. The guys noticed tears forming in her eyes, but she instantly wiped them away. "Idiots." She laughed, but it was empty of humour.

They were confused. They were so very confused. They wanted to believe it so badly that this was her. That this person right here was Katie Holt. Their green paladin. But they also didn't want it to be true. Because if this was their paladin, then it was obvious that she had been living in a war. She had been living this life without Voltron. Without them; her family.

And for how long?

"Do you guys have my blindfold?" She asked weakly.

"Wha-"

"My blindfold. That long cloth left by Green's left paw?" 

"Wait, this?" Lance asked as he lifted the cloth.

Even though her eyes were closed, she gave him a pointed look. "My eyes are closed you idiot, but I'm pretty sure that's it."

Keith took the cloth and walked over to the girl who had her hand outstretched, palm facing the ceiling. "Kinda rude to talk to us like that you know?" He mumbled.

They couldn't tell if she had heard it or not, but she had. She had to refrain herself saying that they deserved it. They didn't, but she was a little bit pissed.

"Why do you need it? Why don't you just open your eyes?" He laid the blind fold in her hand.

"Thanks," she said, promptly ignoring the question. She began tying the blind fold to her head, making sure it covered her eyes. It remained over her hair but under her bangs. "That's a story for later when everyone else is here."

The guys stood awkwardly in silence. They all kept exchanging glances between themselves and then towards the girl.

Okay.

So...

Now what?

The blindfolded girl stood as the guys made wild gestures to try and communicate silently. Key word: Try.

_Matt should say something._

**Why should Matt say it?**

Someone say something.

_Who is she?_

**I don't know god damn it!**

You tell me!

"Theoretically, I'm blind, not deaf." She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto one foot. "Something's on your mind. What is it?"

She was so sassy it honestly hurt because for one; she was unexpectedly rude, and two; it was such a Pidge thing. But was it actually Pidge?

It was another tense moment of wild gestures before Lance gave up. At the same time, the rest of the team had entered the hangar.

"Who are you?" he asked. Allura, Shiro, Hunk, and Coran walked over to the rest of the group. "You seem to know us very well, but we don't know who you are."

She tensed. "What?" She uncrossed her arms and spoke with a small voice. "It's me, Pidge."

She stated it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She stated it like the entire team hadn't debated who it was for the past two weeks. She stated it as if they weren't close to making bets, despite the dire situation.

"Prove it," Matt instructed. If she was Pidge like she said, she needs to prove it. Any intruder could have information on the Green lion and Pidge's name, but what else would they know? "If you're Pidge, prove it."

Keith and Lance seemed to understand so they stood back with the rest of the team to watch it all unfold.

"I guess that's fair," she mumbled quietly to herself. She must have changed a lot physically if Matt was making her prove herself. But if it's what she has to do then so be it. "My name is actually Katie Holt, but everyone calls me Pidge. Erm, I was formerly, or currently the paladin of the green lion. Matt, or Matthew Holt, is a current member of the rebel fighters against the Galra and my brother. Is there anything else you want me to say?"

Formerly?

Everyone looked to Matt.

"If you are Katie, what's our mother's name?"

"Colleen."

"Dad's name."

"Samuel."

"Do we have pets?"

"We have a dog and I named him Bae Bae."

She's so much like her, but is she really her? It has to be, right? There's no way the Galra could have gotten this information from her, right? But former paladin? What did she mean?

"What were their occupations?"

"Wait who? Our parents?"

"Yes."

"Before you, Shiro, and Dad got abducted on the Kerberos Mission, Dad was a commander for the Garrison. Mom, well, with the amount of time that's passed she's probably got a job now..."

Matt sighed. These questions were all very personal and answered correctly, but Matt couldn't bring it in himself to believe that she was Katie yet. There's doubt in his mind. Doubt that the Galra had actually gotten to her and had stripped those memories from her and used them for something else.

"Matt," Shiro said softly. The air was tense and heavy, so Shiro's voice sounded crisp in the silence. "You know she's right. She's answered every question correctly."

The girl in question began to doubt. All her insecurities and dread were bubbling just underneath her skin. Her brother didn't believe her? After all the shit they've been through? After all the shit she's been through? After everything she's done for him to get him back?

She would've never admit that she had started crying silently underneath the blind fold.

"I just-" He cut himself off and tangled his fingers in his hair. "It's not that I don't trust her. It's that I don't trust what the Galra have done with her. It's hard for me to wrap my head around." And maybe, this being Katie was too good to be true.

"Well, ask her then."

Matt gave him a bewildered look.

"Ask her what happened."

She knew he was referring to the time of the Galra vessel. Something that felt like yesterday.

"Okay, Katie," Matt said softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He heaved a deep breath, then exhaled. "What happened?"

She took a moment to collect herself, making sure she didn't hiccup or have her voice crack when she answered. She was surprised it took them this long to ask though. "Well, the last time we saw each other, I was stuck in the beam of that Galra cruiser and you guys were being too stubborn to leave." She looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "When you finally managed to make a wormhole and left, it got corrupted with dark magic." She used one hand to wipe her nose quickly. "That was about two and a half years ago."

Two and a half-

_What?_

"Oh my God, Katie." Matt was stunned. He immediately tackled her and engulfed her in a hug. The both sunk down to the ground, gripping each other with vice like holds. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't care. "I'm so sorry." His voice shook as he spoke. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she barely whispered out. "I'm okay," she lied. She ended up sobbing in his shoulder.

The two had a moment. A very much needed moment. If it was more for Matt's closure, or for Katie's comfort, no one knew. They just knew that this was a very important reunion.

When the two of them calmed down a little bit, they stood up, then opened up their hug to the rest of the team who practically tackled them immediately.

"Oh my God, I fucking missed you dorks," she barely laughed out. Her blindfold was now dripping wet from her tears, but she couldn't care less. She had part of her family back.

The team however, were left with questions. Too many questions. Most of them beginning with "Why?"

But Pidge was happy and smiling for the time being. They had their paladin back. Their little sister (or was she older than some of them now?). And she was enjoying the moment. They could forget about the other problems for a little bit and worry about them later.

Right now, it was all about looking after Katie, since they couldn't do so for the past two and a half years.

**Author's Note:**

> Ohhhh boy..... That's done...
> 
> Jeez that was really fucking long... I promise the next couple of chapters won't be this long. You guys don't need to gain headaches from reading this monstrosity.
> 
> Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed it (even if it didn't make sense). And if y'all have any feedback let me know! I'd love to have your input :)


End file.
